ClariPhy Announces SoC for 100G Coherent CFP Modules

San Francisco, March 10, 2014 – ClariPhy Communications, Inc., a leading developer of ultra‐high speed systems‐on‐chip (SoCs) for data networking, today announced its LightSpeed‐II™ CL10010‐Z SoC for coherent CFP applications. The CL10010‐Z is a member of ClariPhy’s LightSpeed‐II product family, whose multi‐rate, multi‐modulation architecture supports data rates from 200G to 40G per wavelength with programmable spectral efficiency, providing a powerful coherent transmission engine for the next generation of dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) software defined networks (SDNs). The CL10010‐Z supports data rates of 40G and 100G and is optimized for use in coherent CFP applications, enabling point to point unamplified links up to 80km (commonly known as the “ZR” application) as well as metro DWDM connections up to 1200km. An integrated 100G Ethernet to OTN (Optical Transport Network) mapper enables CL10010‐Z based CFPs to plug directly into existing CFP ports on Ethernet switch or router line cards, eliminating the need for external transport gear.

100G coherent technology is being rapidly adopted by carriers for long‐haul DWDM networks because of its tremendous advantages in spectral efficiency and reach compared to the previous generation of 10G (non‐coherent) systems. However, the high cost, power consumption and size of today’s 100G coherent solutions make them unsuitable for use in shorter reach metro networks and inter‐datacenter links, where cheap, pluggable 10G DWDM solutions such as XFP and SFP+ dominate. As 10G metro networks become overwhelmed by a surge in bandwidth demand, carriers are seeking a 100G metro solution with the benefits of coherent (high fiber capacity, dispersion tolerance and ROADM compatibility), but in a pluggable form factor at a cost and power per bit that is comparable with or better than 10G. Pluggability also allows reuse of line cards with 100G client CFP interfaces for DWDM transmission and enables operators to scale their metro transport networks to 100G and beyond with “pay as you grow” flexibility.

The LightSpeed‐II CL10010‐Z sets a new standard for integration, performing all the data processing functions required for the coherent CFP in a single chip. The state of the art 28nm CMOS SoC contains a high speed analog‐to‐digital and digital‐to‐analog converter, a coherent DSP supporting 40G QPSK, 100G QPSK and 100G 16QAM modulation, multiple low‐power forward error correction (FEC) options and an integrated OTN framer/mapper that supports 100G Ethernet connectivity. The device’s highly flexible and power efficient architecture enables a 100G coherent CFP module within the 32W power budget defined by the CFP MSA (multisource agreement), and delivers extended performance up to 1200km, all in the same hardware design. The device supports QPSK modulation with integrated GFEC and G.709 Annex C mapping, enabling interoperability with other CFP implementations.

“We are pleased to partner with ClariPhy to bring to market a coherent CFP based on the CL10010‐Z,” said Nobu Kuwata, general manager of the Technology and Marketing Department of Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations (SEDI). “By combining ClariPhy’s SoC with SEI’s world class indium phosphide optics technology and deep experience in volume manufacturing of pluggable optical modules, we will deliver
the benefits of coherent technology to metro and datacenter networks. We will provide first samples of our 100G coherent CFP next quarter. We believe indium phosphide is the most mature and viable optics technology to enable coherent optics for high volume applications.”

“We are proud to enable a multi‐vendor ecosystem by delivering the world’s first SoC supporting 100G coherent CFP,” said Dr. Paul Voois, co‐founder and chief strategy officer of ClariPhy. “This marks a milestone in the industry and further strengthens ClariPhy’s position as the leading supplier of standard product SoCs for coherent optical networks.”